TEST 8

PART 1
From the words A, B, C or D listed below, choose the ones which best fit the spaces 1-12.

CONKERS
The conker is a chestnut, the hard brown fruit of the chestnut tree. There are two types of chestnut: the sweet chestnut
which you can eat. In winter, they are sold, roasted, from barrows in the street. And then (1)................... is the horse
chestnut, which cannot be eaten. It is the horse chestnut, or conker, which grows (2)................... in England.
The conker does, however, (3)................... one useful purpose. It is collected in autumn by (4)................... small boy in
England. He dries it, (5)................... a hole in it, and puts it on the end of a piece of string.
He is then ready to challenge(6)................... small boy to play conkers.
One of the boys holds his conker, at the end of his string, while the other boy strikes it by bringing his conker down
upon it as (7)................... as he can. Then the positions are (8)................... . The victor is the boy who smashes the
other's conker to (9)................... .
But in the city of Birmingham, conkers (10)................... come to an end. A member of the city government
- Councillor Florence Pickersgill - is worried about the number of children injured (11)................... out gathering
conkers from chestnut trees. She has asked that all chestnut trees in the city be
(12)................... so that they cannot bear conkers. A chemical firm has been approached. They will drill small holes in
the trees, and then insert an anti-conker pill in each hole.

1. a. it b. here c. that d. there

2. a. usually b. often c. frequently d. commonly
3. a. serve b. make c. offer d. give
4. a. every b. all c. most d. many
5. a. screws b. digs c. grinds d. bores
6. a. second b. another c. other d. every
7. a. tough b. hard c. strong d. heavy
8. a. reversed b. reviewed c. revised d. remade
9. a. scraps b. lumps c. parts d. pieces
10. a. can b. may c. ought d. shall
11. a. after b. while c. since d. as
12. a. treated b. drugged c. dealt d. medicated

PART 2
Complete with the word that best fits the space.

JOB TRAINING IN CALIFORNIA

In California, Ms Brenda Blackman has started a business teaching people (13)....................... to marry a millionaire.
Her students, mainly women, sit (14)....................... class saying over and over (15)....................... : "I want to be rich. I
deserve to be rich. I was born to be rich. I will be rich."
She (16)....................... them useful information, (17)....................... as the telephone numbers of the golf and tennis
clubs (18)....................... the filthy rich (19)....................... to be found. She advises them on (20)....................... to wear
at a croquet match. She instructs them (21)....................... the basic etiquette of dealing (22)....................... servants:
"Always address the chauffeur (23)....................... his surname."
For homework, her students study the Wall Street Journal. She also advises them to confirm (24)....................... his
chequebook stubs that their target millionaire really does have the money he appears to have.

WORD BUILDING
To fill the spaces, use a word formed from the words in the list below.

FILM CRITICS AND JUDGES

The (25).................................... was made that the British Academy of Film and Television had awarded the prize for the
Best TV Drama Series to something called Prime Suspect. Immediately, four out of the seven members of the jury
(26).................................... They said they had in fact voted for a (27)....................................... series,
(28).................................... GBH. By and large, the British are not terribly good at advanced mathematics, but this is
(29)....................................
A film critic told a similar story about a country where a film (30).................................... was held. He was on the jury
to make the (30)........................... for prizes. He was approached by a man who had a film in the competition. This
producer offered him £3,000 to make sure that his film won the main prize.
Rather than take the money, the critic mentioned the matter to the (31).................................... of the event.
He was shocked. He said, "This is most (32).................................... It is (33).................................... simply
(34)................................... I shall speak to this man. The going rate for the main prize is at least £5.000."

25. announce 30. festive

26. agree 31. preside
27. compete 32. reason
28. title 33. outrage
29. ridicule 34. scandal

KEYWORD TRANSFORMATION

Complete the second sentence, using between two and five words, including the word given. Do not change that word in
any way.
35. May we borrow your ladder for half an hour? mind
Would you .............................. your ladder for half an hour?

36. "I'm not frightened," he said; in fact, he was terrified. be

He pretended .............................. frightened.

37. The Majestic is better than this hotel. good

This hotel .............................. the Majestic.

38. To enjoy travel, you must go on your own. only

You .............................. enjoy travelling if you go on your own.

39. You were very generous, giving us all that money. of

It was very generous .............................. us all that money.

40. He was sorry he had asked the bank to lend him the money. wished
He .............................. asked the bank to lend him the money.

41. I haven't owned a car for five years now. since

It is five years .............................. a car.

42. Why didn't you warn me it was going to rain? have

You .............................. me it was going to rain.

ERROR CORRECTION

Some of the lines in this exercise are correct; others have a word which should not be there. Which lines are correct?
Which are wrong, and what is the unnecessary word.

ANIMAL DOCTOR

01. In the English, an animal doctor is called a vet. If your dog is sick,

02. you take him by to the vet.

03. Vet is short for the veterinary surgeon.

04. One day, a vet himself was sick. He felt very ill indeed.

05. So he went to see a doctor. He said to the doctor:

06. “I’m a vet. I can’t not ask a dog questions.

07. I have to find out myself what is wrong with a sick animal.”
08. The doctor did not say but a word.

09. He examined the vet. He listened to his heart with a stethoscope.

10. He took his blood pressure. He took his temperature. Then he gave him some medicine.

11. At last then he spoke. He said:

12. “Take you this medicine three times a day

13. after when you have eaten your meals. You should feel better

14. after one week. If you do not so feel better,

15. we shall have to put you out down. Put you to sleep. Kill you.”
ANSWERS

01. D. there
02. D. commonly
03. A. serve
04. A. every
05. D. bores
06. B. another
07. B. hard
08. A. reversed
09. D. pieces
10. B. may
11. B. while
12. A. treated
PART 2: Grammar
13. how
14. in
15. again
16. gives
17. such
18. where
19. are
20. what
21. in
22. with
23. by
24. from
PART 3: Word Formation
25. announcement
26. disagreed
27. entitled
28. ridiculous
29. festival
30. competition
31. president
32. unreasonable
33. outrageous
34. scandalous
PART 4: Usage
.
35. mind our borrowing/if we borrow/lending us
36. not to be
37. is not as/so good as
38. will/can only
39. of you to lend/give
40. wished he had not asked
41. since I owned
42. should have warned
ERROR CORRECTION

01. the

02. by
03. the

06. not

08. but

11. then

12. you

13. when

14. so

15. out